Seasonal variations of nitrogen,phosphorus and the nutrient characters in the shallow lakes along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

Lakes along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are unique shallow lake group faced with serious problems of eutrophication. In shallow lakes, there are strong interactions between surface sediment and overlying water, and the chemical, biol…     

Radon in “nonradonic” ground waters of the Baikal region: Spatial and temporal variations

Based on the analysis of radon concentrations in several dozen springs and wells, three groups were distinguished for the waters classified as “nonradonic.” The spatial regularities of the distribution of these groups were revealed, along with the quantitative characteristic of the anomalies and the background, in view of their belonging to the Baikal and Transbaikal hydromineral provinces of the region.     

Seasonal variations of nitrogen, phosphorus and the nutrient characters in the shallow lakes along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River

Lakes along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River are unique shallow lake group faced with serious problems of eutrophication. In shallow lakes, there are strong interactions between surface sediment and overlying water, and the chemical, biological processes are complicated in the system. The mechanism of shallow lake eutrophication is still insufficient to instruct the harness practice. Water samples were collected quarterly in each lake center from 2000 to 2003. Chemical variables and ionic concentrations were measured in laboratory. This paper focused on the seasonal variations of NO2-N, NO3-N, NH4-N, DIP, chlorophyll a and TN ： TP ratios in 49 lakes along the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River. The cooperating mechanisms between N and P were investigated through the analysis of their relationships at different nutrient levels.     

Do soft sediment deformations in the Late Triassic and Early Jurassic of the UK record seismic activity during the break-up of Pangea?

The lagoonal and shallow marine sediments of the Penarth Group in the UK span the Triassic–Jurassic boundary. These sediments contain several disturbed levels with soft sediment deformations (SSDs), such as synsedimentary faults, injective domes, recumbent folds and slumps that are recognised in most basins from SW England and South Wales to NW Northern Ireland. Field observations, notably the close link of the SSDs to active faults, attest an earthquake origin of the SSDs. Fluids, faults, overpressure and lithology guided the style of the SSDs and their distribution in the sedimentary sections. Analysis of the directional data relating to SSDs in each disturbed level shows preferred orientations of deformation, which correspond to the local state of stress at the time. We favour a series of earthquakes, rather than a single mega-event as a trigger of the observed features. The active local extensional tectonic context was driven by the opening of the Permo-Triassic basins in Western Europe. The data from the SSDs in the UK suggest the development of a multi-directional, mosaic-style extensional context to occur during this early phase of the break-up of Pangea. Our integrated tectonic/sedimentary study suggests that directional data from faults, injective domes, recumbent folds and slumps preserved in sediments are reliable to reconstruct past seismic activity and basin geodynamics.     

Halogens and noble gases in sedimentary formation waters and Zn–Pb deposits: A case study from the Lennard Shelf,Australia

Halogen ratios (Br/Cl and I/Cl) and concentrations provide important information about how sedimentary formation waters acquire their salinity, but the possible influence of organic Br derived from sedimentary wall-rocks is rarely quantified. Here, it is demonstrated that Br/Cl versus I/Cl mixing diagrams can be used to deconvolve organic Br contributions; that organic matter has a limited range of Br/I ratios; and that organic Br is a more significant component in Zn–Pb deposit ore fluids than previously recognised. The significance of these findings is illustrated for the Lennard Shelf Zn–Pb deposits of Western Australia.Fluid inclusions related to Lennard Shelf Zn–Pb mineralisation have variable salinity and hydrocarbon contents. The halogen data from these fluid inclusions require mixing of three fluid end-members: (1) an evaporated seawater bittern brine (30 wt.% NaCl equiv.) with greater than seawater Br/Cl ratio; (2) a lower salinity pore fluid (?5 wt.% NaCl equiv.) with moderately elevated Br/Cl and I/Cl; and (3) fluids with Br/Cl ratios of ～5 times seawater and extremely elevated I/Cl ratios of ～11,500 times seawater. The first two fluids have ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar of 300–400 and greater than air saturated water ³⁶Ar concentrations that are typical of fluid inclusions related to Zn–Pb mineralisation. The third ‘organic-rich’ fluid has the highest ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar ratio of up to 1500 and a depleted ³⁶Ar concentration.Mineralisation is interpreted to have resulted from mixing of Zn-rich evaporitic brines and H₂S present in hydrocarbons. It is suggested that aqueous fluids acquired organic Br and I from hydrocarbons, and that hydrocarbons exsolving from the aqueous fluid removed noble gases from solution. Interaction of variably saline brines and hydrocarbons could account for the variable Br/Cl and I/Cl composition, and ³⁶Ar concentrations, recorded by Lennard Shelf fluid inclusions. The distinct ⁴⁰Ar/³⁶Ar signature of the fluid with the highest I/Cl ratio suggests the hydrocarbons and brines were sourced independently from different parts of the sedimentary basin. These data indicate the complementary nature of halogen and noble gas analysis and provide new constraints on important mixing processes during sediment-hosted Zn–Pb mineralisation.     

The record of temperature, wind velocity and air humidity in the δD and δO of water inclusions in synthetic and Messinian halites

Deuterium and oxygen isotope fractionations between liquid and vapor water were experimentally-determined during evaporation of a NaCl solution (35 g L⁻¹) as a function of water temperature and wind velocity. In the case of a null wind velocity, slopes of δD-δ¹⁸O trajectories of residual waters hyperbolically decrease with increasing water temperatures in the range 23-47 °C. For wind velocities ranging from 0.8 to 2.2 m s⁻¹, slopes of the δD-δ¹⁸O trajectories linearly increase with increasing wind velocity at a given water temperature. These experimental results can be modeled by using Rayleigh distillation equations taking into account wind-related kinetics effects. Deuterium and oxygen isotope compositions of water inclusions trapped by the precipitated halite crystals were determined by micro-equilibration techniques.These isotopic compositions accurately reflect those of the surrounding residual waters during halite growth. Isotopic compositions of water inclusions in twenty natural halites from the Messinian Realmonte mine in Sicily suggest precipitation temperatures of that match the homogenization temperatures obtained by microthermometry (median = 34 ± 5 °C). The similarity between the measured and experimental slopes of the δD-δ¹⁸O evaporation trajectories suggests that the effect of wind was negligible during the genesis of these halite deposits. Hydrogen and oxygen isotope compositions of water inclusions from Realmonte halite also define a linear trend whose extrapolation until intersection with the Mediterranean Meteoric Water Line allows the characterization of the water source with δD and δ¹⁸O values of −70 ± 10‰ and −11.5 ± 1.5‰, respectively. These results reveal that the huge amounts of salts deposited in Sicily result from the evaporation of seawater mixed with a dominant fraction (?50%) of meteoric waters most likely deriving from alpine fluvial discharge.     

Internal architecture of the soft sediment cover of the South-Aquitaine shelf (Bay of Biscay): A record of high frequency sea level variations?

Very high-resolution seismic profiles highlighted three main depositional sequences of several hundred meters thick on the South-Aquitaine shelf. The youngest one, the soft sedimentary cover (U1), is presented in this article. It is composed of six seismic units deposited during the Late Quaternary and corresponds to a repetition of a sequence type. The sequence type is formed in four phases: an erosional unconformity (S), a sub-unit “a”, an internal erosional unconformity (St) and a sub-unit “b”. The first phase begins with the erosional unconformity (S), which could be formed during the sea level fall. The second phase is the deposition of the sub-unit “a”, likely during the sea level lowstand and the early sea level rise. Its acoustic facies is generally chaotic with small channels and could be filled by coarse or heterogeneous sediments. The third phase is the formation of a plane and high amplitude unconformity (St) which could be correlated with a transgressive or a wave ravinement surface. The fourth phase corresponds to the deposition, probably during the sea level rise, of the sub-unit “b” which is characterized by subparallel reflections.     

The earliest Cambrian UHT metamorphism in the Qaidam block,western China: A record of the final assembly of Greater Gondwana?

The final assembly of Gondwana, known as the late Pan-African orogeny, is characterized by Ediacaran–early Cambrian ultrahigh temperature (UHT) metamorphism, which is widely identified within reconstructed East Gondwana. This distinctive feature likely provides a reliable criterion for identifying new Gondwanan terranes that lack paleo-geomagnetic data. Here we present zircon U–Pb geochronology and phase equilibria calculations for a variety of granulite types newly recognized from western Qaidam, China, which provide the first evidence that the Qaidam block, at least western Qaidam, experienced high-grade metamorphism in excess of 900 °C before/at 540–520 Ma. These UHT metamorphic rocks, similar to many well-known Pan-African UHT metamorphic terranes, is inferred to evolve along a clockwise P–T path that is usually related to collisional orogens. Comparison between new metamorphic zircon U–Pb ages from western Qaidam and the published age data from the UHT metamorphic terranes within East Gondwana suggests that the UHT metamorphic rocks found in western Qaidam similarly records the final assembly of Gondwana. Although the exact paleo-geographical location of the Qaidam block during the Gondwana period is unknown yet because of lacking paleo-geomagnetic data, new Pan-African UHT metamorphic record found in western Qaidam indicates, for the first time, that the Qaidam block is a Gondwanan terrane that split from this semi-supercontinent after the Pan-African orogeny.     

Geochemical variations in the Cocos Plate subducting beneath Central America: implications for the composition of arc volcanism and the extent of the Galápagos Hotspot influence on the Cocos oceanic crust

New geochemical data from the Cocos Plate constrain the composition of the input into the Central American subduction zone and demonstrate the extent of influence of the Galápagos Hotspot on the Cocos Plate. Samples include sediments and basalts from Ocean Drilling Program (ODP) Site 1256 outboard of Nicaragua, gabbroic sills from ODP Sites 1039 and 1040, tholeiitic glasses from the Fisher Ridge off northwest Costa Rica, and basalts from the Galápagos Hotspot Track outboard of Central Costa Rica. Site 1256 basalts range from normal to enriched MORB in incompatible elements and have Pb and Nd isotopic compositions within the East Pacific Rise MORB field. The sediments have similar ²⁰⁶Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and only slightly more radiogenic ²⁰⁷Pb/²⁰⁴Pb and ²⁰⁸Pb/²⁰⁴Pb isotope ratios than the basalts. Altered samples from the subducting Galápagos Hotspot Track have similar Nd and Pb isotopic compositions to fresh Galápagos samples but have significantly higher Sr isotopic composition, indicating that the subduction input will have a distinct geochemical signature from Galápagos-type mantle material that may be present in the wedge beneath Costa Rica. Gabbroic sills from Sites 1039 and 1040 in East Pacific Rise (EPR) crust show evidence for influence of the Galápagos Hotspot ∼100 km beyond the morphological hotspot track.     

Geochemistry, Geochronology and Genesis of Gold Mineralization in Nurt of Northern Altay,Xinjiang： A Case Study of the Aketishikan Gold Deposit

Gold deposits such as the Aketishikan, Togetobie, Tasbig-Kokeydlas, Kums and Hongshanzui gold deposits in the Nurt area in Altay of Xinjiang were found in Member 3 rhyolite tufflava, fragmental lava and ignimbrite of the Carboniferous Hongshanzui Group. Trace and rare earth elements, sulfur, lead, oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, and geochronological studies indicate that the ore-forming material was mostly supplied by the Carboniferous volcanic rocks through water-rock interaction under a low-to-moderate temperature, and the hydrothermal ore-forming fluid came from meteoric water with some magmatic water input evolved from the granitic magmas. Gold deposits in the Nurt area as well as in the northern Altay might form in multiple stages, and the Yanshanian mineralization period should be paid more attention besides the Variscan mineralization period.     

Middle Miocene near trench volcanism in northern Colombia: A record of slab tearing due to the simultaneous subduction of the Caribbean Plate under South and Central America?

Field, geochemical, geochronological, biostratigraphical and sedimentary provenance results of basaltic and associated sediments northern Colombia reveal the existence of Middle Miocene (13–14 Ma) mafic volcanism within a continental margin setting usually considered as amagmatic. This basaltic volcanism is characterized by relatively high Al₂O₃ and Na₂O values (>15%), a High-K calc-alkaline affinity, large ion lithophile enrichment and associated Nb, Ta and Ti negative anomalies which resemble High Al basalts formed by low degree of asthenospheric melting at shallow depths mixed with some additional slab input. The presence of pre-Cretaceous detrital zircons, tourmaline and rutile as well as biostratigraphic results suggest that the host sedimentary rocks were deposited in a platform setting within the South American margin. New results of P-wave residuals from northern Colombia reinforce the view of a Caribbean slab subducting under the South American margin.The absence of a mantle wedge, the upper plate setting, and proximity of this magmatism to the trench, together with geodynamic constraints suggest that the subducted Caribbean oceanic plate was fractured and a slab tear was formed within the oceanic plate. Oceanic plate fracturing is related to the splitting of the subducting Caribbean Plate due to simultaneous subduction under the Panama-Choco block and northwestern South America, and the fast overthrusting of the later onto the Caribbean oceanic plate.     

The climatic wind energy potential — present and future: GIS-analysis in the region of Freiburg im Breisgau based on observed data and Regional Climate Models

The current and future wind energy potentials for two square areas (SA) in the region of Freiburg were assessed and analyzed, with the aim of mitigating climate change by increasing the use of wind energy. For future conditions the regional climate models REMO and CLM were taken into account for the IPCC Emission Scenarios (SRES) A1B and B1. One aim was to provide information of the applicability of data from regional climate models in terms of wind energy. As a reference dataset, the wind energy potentials of the two measurement stations of the German Weather Service (DWD) (1961–1990) in Freiburg (SA I) and on the Feldberg (SA II) were assessed. Calculations were carried out by the Wind Analysis and Application Program (WAsP). Results were in terms of visual analysis displayed with maps. While the annual electricity performances of the reference data in SA I and SA II reach up to 7.2 GWh and 10.1 GWh respectively, the calculations for REMO and CLM show an underestimation of the real conditions for every period and Emission Scenario. Hence the applicability of the models in consideration seems to be limited. Nevertheless, with regard to different socio-economic developments (SRES A1B and B1), the results provide an overview of the wind energy potentials’ development in the different periods.     

Genesis of the titanian andradite in alkaline rocks and their petrological and mineralization significance:A study example of the garnet from the Fanshan ultramafic. syenitic complex in North China CratonSCIEI北大核心CSCD

富钛钙铁榴石是硅不饱和碱性火成岩中的特征矿物,其Ti含量和Ti进入石榴石的方式可直接反映岩浆体系的硅饱和度和氧逸度。河北矾山超镁铁岩-正长岩杂岩体是华北克拉通北缘东西向展布三叠纪碱性岩带的重要岩体之一,其岩石中发育三种类型的富钛钙铁榴石:类型Ⅰ发育于岩体外带的石榴石辉石正长岩中,与辉石、黑云母呈岩浆共生关系,端元组成为Adr_(25-65)Mmt_(15-37)Slo_(8-28)Grs_(10-14),以高TiO_(2)含量(6.08%~18.61%)、较低的SiO_(2)含量(25.46%~33.26%)为特征,为原生岩浆成因;类型Ⅱ见于各类岩石,呈细粒他形充填于其他矿物颗粒之间,端元组成为Adr_(57-69)Mmt_(5-19)Slo_(0-6)Grs_(19-27),以高Al_(2)O_(3)含量(3.95%~5.56%)为特征,为岩浆演化后期熔体富Al_(2)O_(3)时结晶而成;类型Ⅲ亦见于各类岩石,主要呈细粒他形或细碎状发育于其他矿物内,端元组成为Adr_(68-79)Mmt_(8-14)Slo_(0-5)Grs_(6-14),以低的Al_(2)O_(3)含量(1.18%~2.89%)和较高的FeO含量(21.65%~24.62%)为特征,为岩浆期后热液成因。在矾山杂岩体的富钛钙铁榴石中,Ti主要以Si→Ti^(4+)和2Fe^(3+)→Ti^(4+)+Fe^(2+)/Mg替代方式进入到晶体结构中,反映了矾山杂岩体的母岩浆体系为二氧化硅不饱和的碱性岩浆,并具有较高的氧逸度。受石榴石的主量元素组成和相应的晶体结构控制,在微量元素组成上,矾山杂岩体中的富钛钙铁榴石富集轻稀土或中稀土、亏损重稀土,大离子亲石元素(Rb、Ba、Pb和Sr)含量较低或极低,而高场强元素(如Th、U、Nb、Ta、Zr和Hf等)含量普遍较高。本文对石榴石的成因研究结果支持矾山杂岩体不同类型的岩石形成于封闭体系下同一母岩浆系统充分的结晶-分异和堆晶作用;此演化模式可以较好地解释矾山杂岩体的同心环状特征和韵律层状结构,以及磁铁矿和磷矿的成因。     

The response of the Gulf of Mexico to wind and heat flux forcing: What has been learned in recent years?

The Loop Current and its shed eddies dominate the circulation and dynamics of the Gulf of Mexico (GoM) basin. Those eddies are strongly energetic and are the cause of intense currents that may penetrate several hundred meters deep. However, there are regions in the GoM and periods of time in which the local atmospheric forcing plays an important role in its dynamics and thermodynamics. The circulation on the shelves, and particularly on the inner shelf, is mainly wind-driven with seasonality, changing direction during the year with periods of favorable upwelling/downwelling conditions. The wind-driven circulation is associated with the transport of waters with different temperature and salinity characteristics from one region to another. The interannual variability of the circulation on the shelves is linked to the atmospheric variability. Intraseasonal variability of the wind patterns considerably affects the likelihood and magnitude of upwelling and downwelling. The geometry of the GoM is such that large-scale winds may drive opposing upcoast/downcoast currents along different parts of the curving coast, resulting in convergence or divergence zones. The width of the shelves in the GoM is variable;while the West Florida Shelf, the Texas-Louisiana shelf and the Campeche Bank are more than 200 km wide, they are narrower near Veracruz and Tabasco. Another consequence of the GoM physiography and the wind forcing is the development of cross-shelf transports in the southern Bay of Campeche, the southern Texas shelf and southeast of the Mississippi river, which in turn vary during the year. During autumn-winter (from September to April), the GoM is affected by cold fronts coming from the northwest United States, which are associated with strong, dry, and cold winds that mix its waters and generate large sensible and latent heat fluxes from the ocean to the atmosphere. These frontal passages also cool the GoM surface waters due to mixing with lower temperature subsurface waters. During summer, tropical cyclones crossing the GoM can dramatically affect circulation and coastal upwelling.     

Physical and chemical changes of water in the deep interior of the Earth—Decrepitation-style mud-volcano-earthquake—A bright lamp to shed light on the mysteries of the deep interior of the Earth

The 2008-05-12 Wenchuan mud-volcano-earthquake was accompanied with eruption of a huge volume of gas and stone, revealing that earthquakes generally result from instant reverse phase explosion of supercritical water (SCW) at the supercritical point. In the deep parts of the crust and mantle there still exists a large amount of supercritical water equivalent in order of magnitude to that of the Earth’s hydrosphere. Soft fluids which exist in the MOHO at the top of the upper mantle are the so-called deep supercritical fluids (SCWD). Supercritical water (SCW) has n×10³ times strong capability to dissolve gas. Its viscosity is extremely low and its diffusivity is extremely strong. Therefore, it can naturally migrate toward a region with relatively negative pressure. In the steep break zone of the MOHO at the 57–65 km depth beneath the earthquake belt, due to mutation of overburden pressure, SCWD can automatically separate out CaSiO₃ and other inorganic salts, evolving into the SCW (H₂O-CO₂-CH₄O system. In going upwards to the 10–20-km depth of the crust SCW will be accumulated as an earthquake-pregnant reservoir in the broken terrain. The phase-transition heat of SCW is estimated at 606.62 kJ/kg and the reverse phasing kinetic energy is 2350.8 kJ/kg. When automatic exhaust at the time of decompression reaches the critical pressure (Pc), the instant explosion reverse phase will be normal-state air water. It will release a huge volume of energy and high-kinetic-energy gas which has been expanded by a factor of 1000, leading to the breaking of the country rocks overlying the earthquake-pregnant reservoir, thus giving rise to a Ms 8.0 earthquake. As a result, there were formed eruptive and air-driven (pneumatic) debris flows whose volumatric flow rate reaches n×10¹⁴ m³/s, and their force greatly exceeds the power of INT explosive of the same equivalent value.     

Geochemistry, Geochronology and Genesis of Gold Mineralization in Nurt of Northern Altay, Xinjiang: A Case Study on the Aketishikan Gold Deposit

Gold deposits such as the Aketishikan, Togetobie, Tasbig-Kokeydlas, Kums and Hongshanzui gold deposits in the Nurt area in Altay of Xinjiang were found in Member 3 rhyolite tufflava, fragmental lava and ignimbrite of the Carboniferous Hongshanzui Group. Trace and rare earth elements, sulfur, lead, oxygen and hydrogen isotopes, and geochronological studies indicate that the ore-forming material was mostly supplied by the Carboniferous volcanic rocks through water-rock interaction under a low-to-moderate temperature, and the hydrothermal ore-forming fluid came from meteoric water with some magmatic water input evolved from the granitic magmas. Gold deposits in the Nurt area as well as in the northern Altay might form in multiple stages, and the Yanshanian mineralization period should be paid more attention besides the Variscan mineralization period.     

A 35 kyr record of organic matter composition and δ13C of n-alkanes in bog sediments close to Lake Baikal: Implications for paleoenvironmental studies

We characterized the compositions of organic compounds in a Cheremushka bog sediment core (deposited over the last 35 kyr), located at the eastern coast of Lake Baikal, to obtain basic information about the terrestrial organic matter (OM) which contributed to Lake Baikal sediments. The bog sediment was analyzed for the molecular composition of n-alkanes, lignin phenols and n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acids, as well as the carbon isotopic composition of plant wax derived n-C₂₇ to C₃₃ alkanes.Concentrations of lignin phenols [vanillyl (V) plus syringyl (S) phenols] normalized to total organic carbon (TOC) in the Holocene are twice those for the last glacial maximum (LGM), while concentrations of TOC-normalized n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acids do not change markedly in this period. Thus, the ratio of lignin phenols to n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acids increases from the LGM to the Holocene. This result is essentially consistent with pollen analysis indicating an expansion of woody plants in the Holocene and a prevailing herb-abundant environment for the LGM. The δ¹³C values of n-C₂₇ to C₃₃ alkanes (e.g. ?29‰ to ?33‰ for C₃₁) indicate the presence of C₃-dominant plants throughout the core.The contribution of terrestrial OM to Lake Baikal sediments was estimated using the biomarkers, on the assumption that the OM in the bog sediments is a representative of the terrestrial OM around the lake. Hence, the estimation using lignin phenol or n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acid parameters indicates that 11–24% of the TOC in the Academician Ridge sediments is land-derived for both the Holocene and the LGM, which is similar to the estimates from C/N values of bulk OM. However, the estimates for terrestrial OM using the n-C₂₇ to C₃₃ alkane parameter are generally higher than those using lignin phenol or n-C₂₄ to C₃₀ alkanoic acid parameters. The difference is thought to be associated with the difference in source and behavior of these biomarkers.